ENG vs IND: Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma exchange a thumbs up gesture after winning the ODI series

It was a memorable outing for India at Old Trafford in Manchester as the Men in Blue lifted the silverware in style by winning the ODI series by 2-1. India outclassed England in the series’ final game after suffering a blow in the second ODI, losing it by 100 runs. When the top order came crashing down, middle order batters Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya kept the game going, with the former remaining unbeaten after notching up his maiden ODI century.

It was one of the finest performances of Rishabh Pant in the ODI format. It became even better when he hit five consecutive boundaries off David Willey’s over and finished the game within just a few deliveries. After his heroics, what grabbed everyone’s attention was Rohit Sharma gesturing a thumbs up from the stands to Pant after he hit the winning knock, and the wicketkeeper-batter responded to him from the field with a thumbs up.

Here’s the video:

Comprehensive efforts by the team lead to a 2-1 series win

Speaking of how the series panned out, Indian bowlers showed brilliance in the first game after Jasprit Bumrah bagged a six-wicket haul to finish England’s innings at mere 110 runs. He was well assisted by Mohammed Shami as the senior pro bagged three wickets. In reply, Indian openers Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan shared an unbeaten century stand and finished off the chase with more than 30 overs to spare.

The second match at the Lord’s did not go India’s way as England dominated the game. Indian bowlers managed to bowl them all out in 49 overs, but England’s Reece Topley registered his career-best figures of 6/24, thereby breaking multiple records. He successfully managed to restrict India to 146 runs, and the Men in Blue lost the contest by 100 runs as the hosts levelled the series.

Both the teams held their nerves while getting out to play the final ODI to decide the winner of the series. Indian bowlers were yet again at their best, with Mohammad Siraj getting his team a breakthrough in his very first over and Pandya leading the attack with his four-wicket haul. The all-rounder kept his good form going even in the second innings as he posted a 55-ball 71 runs. But Rishabh Pant was the star of the show for his unbeaten 113-ball 125* runs as India ended their tour with a massive win.